It’s not just Manet the portraitist who is revealed in all his glory at the Royal Academy’s stunning show: this is all about a genius psychologist whose lightning brush strokes invented modernity

T
hese days, nobody doubts the importance of Manet — at least, nobody with eyes
in their head. He’s rightly seen as a game-changer in the story of art, the
man who opened the door for the impressionists, or, as the Musée d’Orsay put
it a couple of years ago in a gripping celebration of his impact, The Man
Who Invented Modernity. But although we know all this about him, it remains,
on these shores at least, a largely theoretical knowledge. There simply
aren’t enough paintings by him on regular public display for us to form
anything other than a partial view of his accomplishments. ­Celebrated
though he is, Manet hides in the spotlight’s glare and manages to remain a
stubbornly mysterious figure.

So I welcome the Royal Academy’s examination of his portraiture with the sort
of relief the Bedouin must feel upon spotting an oasis. At last. A Manet
show. And